Season 21: Episode 03: Glitter in Their Eyes

The tribe has spoken and John is asked to leave the pool immediately.At Tribal Council, Jimmy T. complains once again that Coach Jimmy J. did not allow him to play enough in the last challenge.   When asked about leadership, Jill admits to Jeff that Jimmy J. is the most accomplished leader in the tribe, so they often seek his advice.   Jimmy J. is quick to note that he is just an advisor, but is not the one making the decisions for the tribe.  Jimmy T. states that Jimmy J. has not really gotten to know him and suggests, “Maybe I’m a threat to his leadership role because I am a leader where I come from. And I am assertive, often speaking my mind.  Maybe he didn’t want to be bothered by that.”   Tyrone is amused that Jimmy T. would think he could be a threat to Jimmy J.  Jill admits that she is worried that they are losing tribe mates as they compete against the young, strong team.   Jeff then asks each tribe member if they are a weak player.   Jimmy J. is the only one to admit that he is one of the weakest on his tribe.   The Espada tribe casts their votes and with eight out of nine votes cast against him, Jimmy J. is voted out.  Jimmy Johnson, the 67 year-old former NFL coach from Islamorada, Fla., became the third person voted out of SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA.

Jeff's thoughts on Naonka:

 Okay let’s get to it – the thing that is really bothering me today. It’s you, Naonka. I am so torn over what I saw in last night’s episode.

You KNOCKED DOWN A WOMAN WITH AN ARTIFICIAL LEG! ON PURPOSE! SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE YOU KNEW THAT WOULD THROW HER OFF BALANCE SO YOU COULD STEAL A CLUE THAT SHE FOUND FIRST!

Whew. That felt good. I feel better already.

Here’s my dilemma. Naonka’s argument is simple: “It’s a game. I should use anything to my advantage and I did. Tough beans that Kelly B has an artificial leg. Not my problem.” I can’t argue against that. She’s right. Technically.

But man, my gut turned when I saw the scene. Keep in mind I do not watch tape on location so I had no idea this had gone down and how physical it got between Naonka and Kelly B.

Had I known, I’m not sure if I could have contained myself the next time I saw Naonka. Okay that’s a lie. Of course I could have contained myself, but I certainly would have looked at Naonka a bit differently.

And then to offer an apology to the tribe for “smushing the bananas…” That was the line that hung in the air for me. She made a conscious decision to apologize for the bananas but no mention of Kelly B. (And for the record, those bananas are the equivalent of gold bars on Survivor. She ruined a big chunk of the reward they just won.)

Naonka: “I got hood. Not ghetto.” I don’t even know what that line means, but the inference is that she knows what she did was rough and that makes it even worse.

For me it just comes down to fairness in life. Yes, you can argue that Survivor is a game and anything goes and if you say that I will nod and agree with you. This is just my own point of view. For me, there is a “fairness in life” philosophy that would prohibit me from taking that kind of advantage from someone like Kelly B. I know Kelly can take care of herself but an artificial leg is not a real leg. It does not and cannot do every single thing a real leg can and when it comes to balance Kelly B is at a disadvantage.

I really found it distasteful.

I will offer this, Naonka you should be writing for a television show. You would have to write alone, because nobody would last with you in the same room, but you spit out some of the most honest and compelling comments I’ve ever heard a person say. They’re not always pleasant but they are revealing of your character and that makes them on some level worth exploring.

Make no mistake, you are a villain. I don’t think anybody watching this season would disagree. Doesn’t mean you can’t get to the end, but I would bet my house and everything in my bank account you can’t win. Then again, I thought Sash would be first off. So what do I really know.

This is Survivor folks. Bringing together a cross-section of America. Forcing them to live together, while battling against each other. It can be a nasty game.

Best quotes of the week:

Fabio:“My strategy goes deeper than ‘oh ha ha, let’s keep him around cause he’s funny.’ Ha ha, there’s a hermit crab on my foot.”

Marty:“There are people out here who are smart … actually, there aren’t that many.”

Jimmy J: “You didn’t realize I could talk to the animals did you? Now if I had Bradshaw with me we’d really get these animals to talk.”

		ESPADA TRIBE
Eric	~	Jill Behm	43	ER Doctor
Brandon	~	Jane Bright	56	Dog Trainer
Cheryl	~	Tyrone Davis	42	Fire Captain
Erin	~	Wendy DeSmidt-Kohohoff	48	Goat Rancher/Retired Army Officer
Christi	~	Holly Hoffman	44	Swim Coach
John	~	Jimmy Johnson	67	TV Sports Broadcaster/Former Football Coach
Colin	~	Dan Lembo	63	Real Estate Executive
Pat	~	Marty Piombo	48	Technology Executive
Dick	~	Yve Rojas	41	Homemaker
Linda	~	Jimmy Tarantino	48	Commercial Fisherman
		LA FLOR TRIBE
Brendan	~	Judson Birza	21	Student
Karen R.	~	Kelly Bruno	26	Medical Student
Lauren	~	Shannon Elkins	30	Pest Control Co. Owner
Karen D.	~	Ben "Benry" Henry	24	Club Promoter
Sandy	~	Matthew "Sash" Lenaham	30	Real Estate Broker
Cara	~	Brenda Lowe	27	Paddleboard Co. Owner/Ex-NFL Cheerleader
Steve	~	NaOnka Mixon	27	Physical Education Teacher
Kim	~	Chase Rice	24	Pro Race Car Jackman/Singer
Warren	~	Kelly Shinn	20	Nursing Student
Tonya	~	Alina Wilson	23	Art Student

Season 21: Episode 02: I'm On the Outs

The tribe has spoken and Lauren is asked to leave the pool immediately.
Shannon blasts Chase right at the start of Tribal Council saying, “I’m coming to find out that there’s no loyalty.  So, we’ll see.  He’d better hope his girlfriend stays with him on his tribe tonight, because if not, he’ll be going home next.”  Shannon continues his attack on Chase by questioning his integrity and calling him a liar.   Jud tries to calm Shannon down by saying “I’m just trying to tell Shannon to not make enemies.  You know he just gets aggressive so quick and I’m trying to tell him that’s not smart man.”   Brenda agrees with Jud and suggests that Shannon has revealed a weakness and he just can’t be trusted.   Shannon gets more agitated and starts going down the line asking people if they can trust him.   Sash tells him “You are pretty much digging your own grave.”   Shannon retaliates by asking Sash if he is gay.   The tribe is shocked by Shannon’s behavior.   Jud pleads, “Be quiet dude.  We are on the same team.”   Alina comes to Shannon’s rescue and points out that Shannon has not lied to her but Chase has.   Kelly B. sums it all up by saying, “I think what we need right now is unity as a tribe so we can go back and win the other challenges and I think that’s how people will vote tonight.”   In the end, with seven out of ten votes against him, Shannon was voted out.  Shannon Elkin, the 30 year-old pest control company owner from Lafayette, Louisiana, became the second person voted out of SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA.

Quotes of the week: 

NaOnka described Kelly B. as a "charity case" and proudly stated that "I've already told myself that if there is a challenge where we are going to have to race and that leg falls off, she's out of here. For real." 

Tyrone interviews that Holly’s making it clearer and clearer that she’s nuts: “I’m going to keep one eye on her… and one eye on my shoes.” 

Jeff discusses Holly's meltdown: 

Hellllllo crazy woman #2! You thought Wendy was a little wacky, hang on, cause here comes Holly!

It’s only day 4 or 5 and already she is losing her mind. Let me preface all of this by saying that I actually really enjoy Holly. I think she’s a good person and she just had a very rough first few days, but man she was going bonkers.

As is so often the case, we didn’t have enough time to show you all the different ways that Holly was losing her mind, but I don’t think you need to see much more than her taking somebody’s expensive dress shoes, filling them with sand and tossing them in the ocean… for what appeared to be no good reason.

On second thought – what’s crazier? Sinking a pair of $1600 alligator shoes in the ocean… or paying $1600 for a pair of shoes?! Dan… sixteen hundred dollars? Really? For a pair of shoes? Alligator, no less? All of it just feels very wrong. Maybe Holly did you a favor sinking those things. Then again you’ve probably already replaced them and plan on wearing them at the live show in December!

		ESPADA TRIBE
Eric	~	Jill Behm	43	ER Doctor
Brandon	~	Jane Bright	56	Dog Trainer
Cheryl	~	Tyrone Davis	42	Fire Captain
Erin	~	Wendy DeSmidt-Kohohoff	48	Goat Rancher/Retired Army Officer
Christi	~	Holly Hoffman	44	Swim Coach
John	~	Jimmy Johnson	67	TV Sports Broadcaster/Former Football Coach
Colin	~	Dan Lembo	63	Real Estate Executive
Pat	~	Marty Piombo	48	Technology Executive
Dick	~	Yve Rojas	41	Homemaker
Linda	~	Jimmy Tarantino	48	Commercial Fisherman
		LA FLOR TRIBE
Brendan	~	Judson Birza	21	Student
Karen R.	~	Kelly Bruno	26	Medical Student
Lauren	~	Shannon Elkins	30	Pest Control Co. Owner
Karen D.	~	Ben "Benry" Henry	24	Club Promoter
Sandy	~	Matthew "Sash" Lenaham	30	Real Estate Broker
Cara	~	Brenda Lowe	27	Paddleboard Co. Owner/Ex-NFL Cheerleader
Steve	~	NaOnka Mixon	27	Physical Education Teacher
Kim	~	Chase Rice	24	Pro Race Car Jackman/Singer
Warren	~	Kelly Shinn	20	Nursing Student
Tonya	~	Alina Wilson	23	Art Student

Season 21: Episode 01: Young at Heart

The tribe has spoken and Erin is asked to leave the pool immediately.

At tribal council, Jimmy T. vents, “It’s unbelievable. You know where I do come from I’m a leader.  When I talk people listen.  When you get to Survivor, there’s people that are stronger, there’s people with more integrity and when you have one of the greatest leaders in the NFL of all time, it’s very frustrating.  I’m just another player here.”   Jimmy J. responds “Let me make it clear.   I’m not the boss.”   He confirms that he feels he has a target on his back tonight, but once again assures people that he is not playing for the money but for the adventure.  Wendy relates to Jeff that she feels vulnerable because she didn’t connect with people at the camp.  She realizes “Maybe I should have been talkative and shared everything, but I didn’t want to come in and talk, talk, talk and drive people crazy.”   Wendy rambles on, “So I stayed pretty quiet and that is not me.  I have a nickname of chatterbox.”  With nine out of the ten votes cast against her, Wendy is unanimously voted out.  Wendy DeSmidt-Kohlhoff, the 48 year-old goat rancher from Fromberg, Montana, became the first person voted out of SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA.

Quotes of the Week:

Shannon: ”It’s important we don’t let these girls take over. I mean we already getting owned in marriage. Pretty soon we’ll have a woman President.”

Wendy, just before the vote,“…and I don’t have any blisters on my feet. That’s an asset. ”

Jeff's thoughts on the first challenge: 

The older tribe had the Medallion of Power and they decided not to use it. They’ll tell you they were smart to not use it because it wouldn’t have made a difference. While that is probably true, most of their confidence comes from back seat driving, or better yet, Monday morning quarterbacking because the challenge didn’t play out quite as planned. Let me explain…

INSIGHT: Despite testing our first challenge over and over, the Survivors did something that we didn’t count on. We expected the gutters to go from left to right, back and forth, because that is how the challenge was built to play. Instead, they simply formed one long gutter system, and it worked much better than what we had planned. As a result the challenge went much faster and because of that it reduced the amount of an ‘advantage” they would have had. Would the Medallion advantage have made enough difference for them to win? We’ll never know. But had the challenge been played the way it was tested and rehearsed, it most definitely would have made a difference.

If they resist using the Medallion of Power next challenge then we’ll know they’re not smart, just foolish.

		ESPADA TRIBE
Eric	~	Jill Behm	43	ER Doctor
Brandon	~	Jane Bright	56	Dog Trainer
Cheryl	~	Tyrone Davis	42	Fire Captain
Erin	~	Wendy DeSmidt-Kohohoff	48	Goat Rancher/Retired Army Officer
Christi	~	Holly Hoffman	44	Swim Coach
John	~	Jimmy Johnson	67	TV Sports Broadcaster/Former Football Coach
Colin	~	Dan Lembo	63	Real Estate Executive
Pat	~	Marty Piombo	48	Technology Executive
Dick	~	Yve Rojas	41	Homemaker
Linda	~	Jimmy Tarantino	48	Commercial Fisherman
		LA FLOR TRIBE
Brendan	~	Judson Birza	21	Student
Karen R.	~	Kelly Bruno	26	Medical Student
Lauren	~	Shannon Elkins	30	Pest Control Co. Owner
Karen D.	~	Ben "Benry" Henry	24	Club Promoter
Sandy	~	Matthew "Sash" Lenaham	30	Real Estate Broker
Cara	~	Brenda Lowe	27	Paddleboard Co. Owner/Ex-NFL Cheerleader
Steve	~	NaOnka Mixon	27	Physical Education Teacher
Kim	~	Chase Rice	24	Pro Race Car Jackman/Singer
Warren	~	Kelly Shinn	20	Nursing Student
Tonya	~	Alina Wilson	23	Art Student

Pairings

Here are the pairings for Survivor Nicaragua.

Good luck to everyone!

		ESPADA TRIBE
Eric	~	Jill Behm	43	ER Doctor
Brandon	~	Jane Bright	56	Dog Trainer
Cheryl	~	Tyrone Davis	42	Fire Captain
Erin	~	Wendy DeSmidt-Kohohoff	48	Goat Rancher/Retired Army Officer
Christi	~	Holly Hoffman	44	Swim Coach
John	~	Jimmy Johnson	67	TV Sports Broadcaster/Former Football Coach
Colin	~	Dan Lembo	63	Real Estate Executive
Pat	~	Marty Piombo	48	Technology Executive
Dick	~	Yve Rojas	41	Homemaker
Linda	~	Jimmy Tarantino	48	Commercial Fisherman
		LA FLOR TRIBE
Brendan	~	Judson Birza	21	Student
Karen R.	~	Kelly Bruno	26	Medical Student
Lauren	~	Shannon Elkins	30	Pest Control Co. Owner
Karen D.	~	Ben "Benry" Henry	24	Club Promoter
Sandy	~	Matthew "Sash" Lenaham	30	Real Estate Broker
Cara	~	Brenda Lowe	27	Paddleboard Co. Owner/Ex-NFL Cheerleader
Steve	~	NaOnka Mixon	27	Physical Education Teacher
Kim	~	Chase Rice	24	Pro Race Car Jackman/Singer
Warren	~	Kelly Shinn	20	Nursing Student
Tonya	~	Alina Wilson	23	Art Student

Preview

The 21st season of Survivor is set in Nicaragua and will feature a battle of the ages. The Espada tribe, comprised of castaways over 40, features one notable leader, former NFL coach and two-time Super Bowl champion Jimmy Johnson.

Among the contestants joining Johnson's team is 48-year-old Massachusetts native Jimmy T, who won a nationwide contest to be a "Survivor" participant. "He's a fisherman -- a huge personality -- band he's going to be on the older tribe with Jimmy Johnson," says Probst. "They're either going to connect like brothers -- or they're going to fight like brothers."

While the elder Espada tribe has the edge in life experience, the young guns of the Laflor tribe bring their own unique perspectives to the game. "Brenda is another one to watch out for," says Probst. "She is very young, fit attractive, but on top of everything else, she is sort of a black widow. "Kelly B //she has an artificial leg. … She's very physically fit, she's an athlete. I think most people are going to look at Kelly and say, 'Look at everything she's overcome and she's still out there doing well; if we let her get deep, she could win."
 The old versus young division is not the only twist this season. At the very opening, Probst will reveal to the contestants a brand new item: the Medallion of Power. The Medallion can be used by a tribe to give itself an advantage in an immunity challenge, but once used, it goes over to the other tribe to use when it sees fit. “The Medallion of Power is designed to give you power at challenges,” explains Probst. “And our job is to make sure that the advantage is enough to tempt you — not so much that it’s a landslide, but enough that you go, ‘I’m not sure we should take it. Maybe we should, maybe we shouldn’t.’”

Also, expect fewer hidden immunity idols to be played on Survivor: Nicaragua, or at least expect them to be a bit harder to find. “This season we have made changes to the hidden immunity idol,” says Probst “The only way you’re gonna find it is to decipher these cryptic visual clues. So it’s a bit like a visual riddle, and the audience will get to play along. And the first set of four clues is very difficult. The next set will be a little easier, and then by the third set, you should find it.”

Nicaragua presents different challenges for the castaways, Probst points out. "For the survivors. Nicaragua is going to be a little tougher. There's not a lot of food out there and it's also the start of the rainy season, so they're gonna get wet -- and no matter what, no matter how good a shelter they build, they leak. And when your clothes get wet and you get cold and you wake up the next morning and haven't slept … I think the result is you get a lot of tension."